Prince William Says Queen Elizabeth Would ‘Never Have Believed’ How Many People Were Waiting to See Her One Last Time
Prince William is stepping up and embracing his role as the Prince of Wales. He recently addressed a crowd of mourners on their way to pay their final respects to Queen Elizabeth II. Here’s what he said to the group about what the queen would have thought about the crowds waiting in line for hours.
Prince William says Queen Elizabeth would have been surprised by the crowd
Prince William stopped to talk to mourners waiting to see Queen Elizabeth II lying in state. He told them how he was feeling and what he was thinking at the time. The Prince of Wales told the mourners that the funeral services were “very emotional” for him.
Prince William also said Queen Elizabeth would “never have believed” how many people came to see her (via The Telegraph). He told the crowd he hoped they “made lots of friends” while waiting to see the queen. “Even in death, she’s uniting people,” said Prince William to one mourner.
David Beckham waited in line for 12 hours to see Queen Elizabeth
Among the mourners was soccer star David Beckham, who says he arrived at 2:00 a.m. to pay his respects. He reportedly spent 12 hours waiting in line.
“We all want to be here to together,” Beckham tells BBC. “We all want to experience something where we celebrate the amazing life of our queen. And I think something like this today is meant to be shared together.”
Beckham also spoke to ITV about what the queen meant to him. He says he grew up in a household of people who held the royal family in high regard.
“I grew up in a house of royalists and I was brought up that way, so, if my grandparents would have been here today, I know that they would have wanted to be here,” Beckham tells ITV. “So, I’m here on their behalf and on behalf of my family, and obviously to celebrate with everybody else here.”
Beckham says he was “lucky” to have been able to meet Queen Elizabeth a few times because of his career. He noted it was a “sad day,” but it was a day for everyone to remember the queen’s legacy.
Barack Obama remembers Queen Elizabeth’s ‘generosity’ and ‘thoughtfulness’
Former president Barack Obama says he first met Queen Elizabeth when he was visiting London in 2011. Obama says the queen reminded him of his grandmother.
“Not just in appearance, but in manner,” Obama tells BBC. “Very gracious, but also no-nonsense. Wry sense of humor. She could not have been more kind or more thoughtful to me and Michelle.”
Obama says Buckingham palace reached out later and Queen Elizabeth invited the former first lady and their daughters, Sasha and Malia, to tea. According to Obama, Queen Elizabeth also offered to let Sasha and Malia ride in her golden carriage around the grounds of Buckingham Palace.
“It was the sort of generosity and consideration that left a mark in my daughters’ lives that’s still there,” adds Obama. “The combination of a sense of duty and a clear understanding of her role as a symbol for a nation and as the carrier of a certain set of values combined with a very human quality of kindness and consideration. I think that’s what made her so beloved, not just in Great Britain but around the world.”
Follow Sheiresa Ngo on Twitter.
RELATED: Body Language Expert Says Meghan Markle Doesn’t Look ‘Confident’ While Walking With Kate and William
